HIGH FORMAT®
HIGH FORMAT® manufactures premium outdoor hardscape materials — walls, slabs, pavers, steps, fire features, coping, and natural stone — for homeowners, landscape contractors, and architects across five Midwest US states. It sells through an authorized dealer network, backed by two manufacturing facilities in Michigan and Wisconsin.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersCharlevoix, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What HIGH FORMAT® does
HIGH FORMAT® (legal entity: MDC Contracting, LLC) manufactures premium outdoor hardscape materials — including walls, slabs, pavers, steps, fire features, caps, coping, and natural stone — for residential and commercial landscape projects across the Midwest United States. The company is headquartered in Charlevoix, Michigan and operates a second manufacturing facility in East Troy, Wisconsin (opened 2025), distributing products through an authorized dealer network covering Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, northern Indiana, and northeast Illinois. Its portfolio is built on three material technology platforms: Rosetta Hardscapes wetcast concrete (licensed), VIBRALOCK® integrated surface technology, and proprietary TEKTRAMAT® ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) used for large-format thin-profile slabs.
The company serves three end-user segments: homeowners undertaking outdoor improvement projects, landscape contractors installing hardscape materials, and architects/specifying landscape architects. Products are sold exclusively through authorized dealers and distributors; no consumer-facing pricing is published. HIGH FORMAT® is a privately held subsidiary of The Manthei Group, a family-owned diversified conglomerate that also owns Rosetta Hardscapes (as licensor), Redi-Rock, Pole Base, and Manthei Supply/Construction. The company was founded in 2008 as 'Rosetta of Michigan' (the first original producer of Rosetta Hardscapes), rebranded to HIGH FORMAT® in 2020 to broaden its product scope beyond wetcast concrete, and has no disclosed institutional investors, funding rounds, or public ownership.
HIGH FORMAT® firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- HIGH FORMAT®
- Legal name
- MDC Contracting, LLC
- Website
- https://highformat.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- HIGH FORMAT® manufactures premium outdoor hardscape materials — walls, slabs, pavers, steps, fire features, coping, and natural stone — for homeowners, landscape contractors, and architects across five Midwest US states. It sells through an authorized dealer network, backed by two manufacturing facilities in Michigan and Wisconsin.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
HIGH FORMAT® industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Building Materials
- NAICS
- Concrete Block and Brick Manufacturing (327331), Roofing, Siding, and Insulation Material Merchant Wholesalers (42333)
- SIC
- Concrete Products, Except Block & Brick (3272), Cut Stone & Stone Products (3281)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Concrete Pavers, Hardscape & Retaining Wall Systems (IMADAAAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Landscape Construction & Hardscaping (Patios, Retaining Walls, Outdoor Structures) (IMAIAIAE), Stonework & Masonry (Stone Veneer, Brick, Block) (HSAIACAI), Concrete, Cement & Aggregates Retail (Bagged Mix, Sand, Gravel) (CRAIAEAG)
Keywords
Where HIGH FORMAT® is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Charlevoix
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
HIGH FORMAT® business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Hardscape Materials Sales: HIGH FORMAT® generates revenue through the manufacture and sale of premium outdoor hardscape materials including walls, slabs, pavers, steps, fire features, caps, and coping. Products are sold through a network of authorized dealers and distributors in the Midwest. The company sells wetcast concrete products using Rosetta Hardscapes technology, ultra-high-performance concrete products using TEKTRAMAT technology, and natural stone products.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Dealer-direct pricing model through authorized distributors |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
HIGH FORMAT® product offering
Product offeringCore offering
HIGH FORMAT® manufactures premium outdoor hardscape materials including retaining and freestanding walls, large-format slabs and pavers, steps, fire pits and fireplaces, caps and coping, and a curated natural stone line. Products are produced at the company's Charlevoix, Michigan headquarters and a second manufacturing plant in East Troy, Wisconsin, using three proprietary technology platforms (Rosetta® Wetcast, VIBRALOCK®, and TEKTRAMAT® UHPC) and are sold through a network of authorized dealers and landscape supply distributors across the Midwest.
Product overview
HIGH FORMAT® manufactures premium outdoor hardscape materials as a single unified product portfolio consisting of concrete and natural stone landscape products. The product line is organized into five main categories: Walls (including Belvedere®, Kodah®, Dimensional, Heartwood, and Richland wall systems), Slabs & Pavers (featuring TEKTRAMAT® ultra-high-performance concrete slabs like Gauge Premier, Metro, Arcadia, and Tetra; VIBRALOCK® flagstone slabs like Grand Flagstone and Dimensional Flagstone; and natural stone options including travertine, marble, pewter, and basalt), Steps (Empire Steps, Irregular Steps, Dimensional Steps, Heartwood Steps), Fire Features (Belvedere®, Kodah®, and Dimensional fire pits), and Caps & Coping (Dimensional, Camden, Belvedere®, and Natural Stone options). The company also offers three core technology platforms: Rosetta® Wetcast (wetcast concrete technology licensed from Rosetta Hardscapes providing detailed natural textures), VIBRALOCK® (integrated surface technology for enhanced durability and color), and TEKTRAMAT® (proprietary ultra-high-performance concrete for large format applications). Products are sold through dealers across Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. The company operates manufacturing facilities in Charlevoix, Michigan and East Troy, Wisconsin.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- ROSETTA® WETCAST: Wetcast concrete production system producing detailed, natural-looking textures with seamless color blending and long-term structural integrity.
- VIBRALOCK®
- TEKTRAMAT®
Products and services
- Belvedere® Wall Rustic retaining and freestanding wall blocks with natural stone texture on both front and back faces, featuring multiple face textures for a random look. Tapered blocks create natural-looking straight and curved walls, suited for homeowners, landscape contractors, and architects.
- Kodah® Wall Modern-styled wall blocks with snapped limestone textures stretched to great lengths. Blocks are finished on both front and back faces and are tapered for creating retaining walls and double-sided freestanding walls.
- Dimensional Wall Uniform-sized wall blocks for simple and elegant small garden walls and freestanding walls. Small and lightweight units feature a generous assortment of natural textures on four sides.
- Heartwood Wall Wood-grain textured wall blocks with durability for freestanding seat walls and garden retaining walls. Texture on five sides allows each piece to function as a wall unit or corner unit.
- Richland Wall Lightweight wall blocks with crisp snapped limestone textures. Multiple lengths and textures create an organic random appearance with five different lengths and forty unique textures.
- Grand Flagstone Slabs Large natural flagstone-look slabs with four interlocking layers all the same size, each with three to four unique pieces. Features 15 unique shapes, uniform thickness, and high-strength concrete construction.
- Dimensional Flagstone Slabs Concrete slabs replicating classic dimensional-cut sedimentary stone with greater durability and consistent edge profiles. Six unique shapes with 24 unique stone textures and uniform thickness for fast installation.
- New Mission Pavers Interlocking concrete pavers creating pavement on a generous scale with show-stopping texture and elegant random pattern. Suitable for residential vehicular traffic with three sizes and multiple face textures.
- Gauge Premier Slabs (TEKTRAMAT®) Large format slabs with authentic stone surface accurately replicating natural cleft flagstone. Two stone shapes create a simple, organic layout with ultra-high-performance concrete construction.
- Metro Slabs (TEKTRAMAT®) Large format slab with stylish modern aesthetic featuring clean lines and thermalled stone textures. Large footprint and lightweight construction enables rapid installation with three stone shapes.
- Arcadia Slabs (TEKTRAMAT®) Large format slab with modern aesthetic featuring clean lines and thermalled textured surface. Offers four times compressive strength and twice flexural strength of normal concrete with salt-proof surface.
- Tetra Slabs (TEKTRAMAT®) Large format square slab with modern aesthetic featuring clean lines. Available in Thermal or Natural Cleft stone texture options.
- Empire Steps Durable step treads with crisp rockfaced texture on all four sides and lightly textured walking surface with consistent 7-inch rise. Available in multiple lengths from 3' to 8'.
- Irregular Steps Stone-like steps with irregular shapes and textures for creating inviting walkways or series of steps. Standard and Large 6' sizes available with weathered or snapped face textures.
- Dimensional Steps Quarried stone-look steps with consistent shapes and variety of textures. Available in 4' and 6' lengths with snapped face texture.
- Heartwood Steps Steps with beautiful wood-grain texture coordinating with Heartwood Wall. Available in 4' length with timber face texture.
- Belvedere® Fire Pit Rustic wetcast concrete fire pit with natural stone texture. Easy to install kit includes durable wetcast blocks and heavy duty steel liner.
- Kodah® Fire Pit Modern-styled fire pit kit coordinating with Kodah Wall blocks, featuring snapped limestone textures.
- Dimensional Fire Pit Fire pit kit with quarried stone texture coordinating with Dimensional Wall blocks. Includes 36 wetcast concrete stones and 12-gauge steel liner.
- Belvedere® Fireplace Outdoor fireplace with natural stone texture coordinating with Belvedere product line.
- Dimensional Coping Chiseled natural stone texture coping perfect for topping off seat walls or using as stair tread. Comfortable dimensions for seat walls with formal appearance.
- Camden Coping Rock-faced coping or stair tread with lightly surfaced top and wear-proof surface. Available in 48x12x2 inch dimensions.
- Belvedere® Coping Coping blocks with multiple face textures for random look. Three standard coping blocks finished on front, back and top faces with approximately 1 inch taper.
- Dimensional Column Caps Textured column caps available in multiple square sizes to coordinate with HIGH FORMAT wall products. Large format subtle textures available in 24, 27, 30, and 34 inch dimensions.
- Camden Column Caps Column caps with rock-faced texture on front and back, coordinating with Camden Coping and wall products.
- Natural Stone Coping High-quality natural stone coping and treads coordinating with the stone paver line. Unit dimensions 12x24x2 inches with bullnose and eased edge options.
- Silverek Travertine Natural travertine pavers with mixture of taupe and gray shades in antiqued finish with tumbled edges.
- Devon Travertine Natural travertine pavers with blends of taupe and browns in antiqued finish portraying an aged look with smooth surface and tumbled edges.
- Champagne Travertine Natural travertine pavers with blends of cream and taupe in antiqued finish portraying an aged look with smooth surface and tumbled edges.
- Azure Marble Natural marble pavers in cool grays and soft blue tones available in antiqued finish (aged look with smooth surface and tumbled edges) or sandblasted finish (lightly textured surface with straight edges).
- Glacier Marble Natural marble pavers in cool grays and soft white tones available in antiqued or sandblasted finishes.
- Pewter Tumbled natural cleft stone pavers in gray tones with true dimensions designed for tight joints.
- Bellaire Blue Tumbled natural cleft pavers in bluish green tone designed for tight joints.
- Onyx Tumbled thermal stone pavers in dark gray tones with true dimensions designed for tight joints.
- Basalt Tumbled thermal stone pavers in dark tones with true dimensions designed for tight joints. Unit dimensions 6L x 12W x 1.25H inches.
- Superior Steppers Assortment of stepping stones perfect for rustic walkways and meandering garden pathways. Eight generously sized shapes for rustic authentic stone appearance.
Quantifiable outcome
- Limited lifetime warranty on all products manufactured by HIGH FORMAT for residential applications
Companies that use HIGH FORMAT®
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
HIGH FORMAT® technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
HIGH FORMAT® partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Rosetta HardscapescoreHIGH FORMAT® is the first original producer of Rosetta Hardscapes (originally operating as 'Rosetta of Michigan' starting in 2008). The company manufactures Rosetta Hardscapes wetcast products under license within its geographic territory (Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois). Rosetta Hardscapes develops advanced wetcast concrete technology and licenses it to more than 30 producers worldwide. HIGH FORMAT continues to manufacture walls, steps, and pavers using Rosetta Hardscapes technology.
- The Manthei GroupcoreHIGH FORMAT® is part of The Manthei Group of family businesses, a collection of companies spanning concrete manufacturing, construction products and services, forestry products, and real estate. The Manthei Group, led by three generations of the Manthei family, has been dedicated to providing innovative concrete products since 2000. The group includes Redi-Rock, Rosetta Hardscapes, Pole Base and other companies.
- Briohn Building CorporationminorBriohn Building Corporation served as the general contractor for the construction of HIGH FORMAT's new 30,000-square-foot production plant in East Troy, Wisconsin. The company brought the company's vision to life through the construction of the new facility.
- City of East TroyminorThe City of East Troy provided support throughout the process of establishing HIGH FORMAT's new production facility in the community. The company notes being humbled by the warm welcome from the East Troy community.
- Manthei Group CompaniescoreHIGH FORMAT operates alongside other Manthei Group companies including Redi-Rock, Rosetta Hardscapes (as licensor), Pole Base, Manthei Supply, and Manthei Construction. These companies collectively serve customers across multiple industries including concrete manufacturing, construction products, and real estate.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights4 records
HIGH FORMAT® competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- Rosetta Hardscapes: Rosetta Hardscapes is the licensor of the wetcast technology HIGH FORMAT manufactures under, and is itself part of the Manthei Group ecosystem of producers. Overlapping IP and product families; functions as both a peer and a licensor.
- Redi-Rock: Redi-Rock is a sister company within the Manthei Group producing large-block retaining wall systems for commercial and residential applications using wetcast concrete. Highly relevant for technology and channel benchmarking, though it targets a heavier commercial segment than HIGH FORMAT.
Direct peers
- Unilock: Unilock manufactures concrete pavers, walls, slabs, and outdoor features using proprietary technologies (e.g., Enduracolor, Ultima) and sells through authorized dealers across North America. Overlap with HIGH FORMAT's wetcast/UHPC-plus-dealer model is strong in wall and slab categories.
- Cambridge Pavingstones: Cambridge manufactures concrete pavers and walls with Armortec and other surface technologies sold through authorized dealers. Direct competition for the same homeowner and contractor budgets as HIGH FORMAT.
- Techo-Bloc: Techo-Bloc is a North American manufacturer of premium concrete pavers, slabs, walls, and outdoor features known for design-led SKUs and a strong dealer network. Direct overlap with HIGH FORMAT's premium hardscape positioning and dealer distribution model.
- Nicolock Paving Stones: Nicolock manufactures concrete pavers, slabs, and retaining walls using technologies such as paver-shield and is sold through dealers on the East Coast and Midwest. Similar product portfolio, tech-led differentiation, and dealer channel.
- Anchor Wall Systems: Anchor Wall Systems designs and licenses segmental retaining wall systems widely used by hardscape producers and sold through building material dealers. Comparable to HIGH FORMAT's Kodah, Belvedere, and other retaining wall blocks.
- Pavestone (Pavestone / Keystone): Pavestone/Quikrete Hardscapes produces concrete pavers, retaining walls, and slabs sold through mass and pro dealers. Comparable concrete manufacturing process, similar product families, and competes at overlapping price tiers in the Midwest.
Broad incumbents
- Belgard (Oldcastle APG): Belgard is the largest U.S. concrete hardscape brand under Oldcastle APG, offering pavers, walls, slabs, and outdoor living products through an extensive dealer network. It competes directly with HIGH FORMAT across wall and paver categories, but at far greater national scale.
Emerging players
- Silvercreek Stoneworks (Stonecrete): Smaller regional concrete hardscape producer offering flagstone-look slabs, walls, and coping to dealers, with overlapping SKU families such as flagstone and dimensional lines. Positioned similarly to HIGH FORMAT at regional scale.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
HIGH FORMAT® social profiles
Digital presenceHIGH FORMAT® financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
HIGH FORMAT® leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
HIGH FORMAT® funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
HIGH FORMAT® M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about HIGH FORMAT®
What does HIGH FORMAT® do?
HIGH FORMAT® manufactures premium outdoor hardscape materials including retaining and freestanding walls, large-format slabs and pavers, steps, fire pits and fireplaces, caps and coping, and a curated natural stone line. Products are produced at the company's Charlevoix, Michigan headquarters and a second manufacturing plant in East Troy, Wisconsin, using three proprietary technology platforms (Rosetta® Wetcast, VIBRALOCK®, and TEKTRAMAT® UHPC) and are sold through a network of authorized dealers and landscape supply distributors across the Midwest.
Is HIGH FORMAT® a public or private company?
HIGH FORMAT® is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was HIGH FORMAT® founded?
HIGH FORMAT® was founded in 2008. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is HIGH FORMAT® based?
HIGH FORMAT® is headquartered in Charlevoix, United States, in the North America region.
How does HIGH FORMAT® make money?
One revenue line is on record: hardscape Materials Sales.
Who are HIGH FORMAT®'s main competitors?
Others on record are Rosetta Hardscapes and Redi-Rock. Direct peers are Unilock, Cambridge Pavingstones, Techo-Bloc, Nicolock Paving Stones, Anchor Wall Systems and Pavestone (Pavestone / Keystone). Belgard (Oldcastle APG) is listed as a broad incumbent. Silvercreek Stoneworks (Stonecrete) is listed as an emerging player.
Does HIGH FORMAT® have an API?
No public API is recorded for HIGH FORMAT®.
What industry is HIGH FORMAT® in?
HIGH FORMAT®'s product category is Building Materials. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMADAAAE, Concrete Pavers, Hardscape & Retaining Wall Systems, with a secondary code of IMAIAIAE, Landscape Construction & Hardscaping (Patios, Retaining Walls, Outdoor Structures). Its NAICS code is 327331 and its SIC code is 3272.